German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer plan to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in London on Sunday evening to discuss efforts to bring the war to an end.
Berlin, Paris and London - known together as the E3 - want to work together with Ukraine to reinvigorate efforts to end the war, a British government spokesman confirmed to dpa on Friday.
The E3 countries have played a key role in European efforts to end Russia's war. London and Paris have even indicated they would be willing to deploy ground troops to Ukraine to keep the peace following a lasting ceasefire.
Germany could at least "contribute forces for Ukraine on neighbouring NATO territory," Merz said at a meeting of allies from the so-called Coalition of the Willing earlier this year in Paris.
Efforts so far have foundered on Russia's lack of willingness and the reluctance of the United States under President Donald Trump to provide security guarantees. Washington's interest in a peace settlement appears to have waned in recent months.
The French presidential palace said Macron, Starmer and Merz would first meet among themselves before speaking with Zelensky. The aim was to continue supporting Ukraine and to increase pressure on Russia's war effort.
Russia is under military, economic and strategic pressure but continued to wage its murderous war at the front, Paris added.
Despite intensifying fighting in the Ukraine war, the German government believes talks with Russia on ending the war could take place in the coming months. "A window for talks between the European side and Russia is slowly opening," government sources said recently.
Europeans welcome Zelensky's offer to Putin as 'good initiative'
Zelensky offered Putin peace talks on Thursday in an open letter. In response, the Kremlin so far only renewed its offer of negotiations in Moscow and its demand for full control of Ukraine's Donbass region as a precondition for peace, proposals Zelensky has rejected on multiple previous occasions.
Against the backdrop of stalling US mediation efforts, Zelensky offered Putin direct peace talks in a country other than Russia or Ukraine to discuss "key issues" in person.
Regarding Zelensky's offer, Macron said on the sidelines of the EU-Western Balkans summit in Montenegro on Friday: "I believe that today it is Ukraine and Russia that can work out both a ceasefire and a peace plan." The Europeans could help, he said, as they are by far Ukraine's most important supporters.
He added that the Europeans would also need to have a seat at the table at a certain point in the talks on a peace plan, given that - due to the geographical situation - it concerned a peace and security architecture for Europe. "That is why I consider this a good initiative," he said.
Merz also welcomes Zelensky’s offer
Also speaking on the sidelines of the EU-Western Balkans summit, Merz welcomed Zelensky's offer of direct talks with Putin as well, while making clear that the Europeans wanted to be involved in any possible peace talks.
"I very much welcome the fact that President Zelensky has once again made an offer to talk. I want to stress: once again. This is not the first time he has offered to hold direct talks with the Russian president," Merz said.
The issue would also be on the agenda at the planned talks with Zelensky in London, he added.
On the prospect of peace talks, Merz said: "We are ready to talk and in my view it goes without saying that the Europeans should have a seat at the table in any such format.
"It is a fundamental European interest that we have peace in this part of Europe."
What is still missing, Merz said, was the Russian president's willingness to enter into talks.
